Just in case you missed it, yesterday — November 25 — was the International Day to End Violence Against Women.

We're guessing Bill Cosby did not bake a cake to celebrate.

Not as festive as Halloween or as gifty as Mother's Day, perhaps, but this was a moment when the whole world was meant to wake up and throw its collective weight against the giant ugly monster that is gender-based violence.

Yes, fat chance. But it has to start somewhere.

According to a press release from UN Women, during a 16 day period (Nov. 25 to Dec. 10, which is Human Rights Day), you are invited by the United Nations to 'Orange YOUR Neighbourhood' — to display the colour orange, picked to symbolize hope for a future when violence against women and girls no longer exists.

In the U.S., various landmarks including the UN Headquarters in New York and such iconic buildings as the Empire State Building were bathed in orange light to kick off 'Orange YOUR Neighbourhood', which is part of the UN Secretary-General's campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women.

There are going to be events all around the world for the 16 days, and wherever possible, the colour orange will be incorporated.

Funny — prison jumpsuits are so often orange.

Which brings us, of course, to the decline and fall of Bill Cosby, the comic and role model for many who stands accused of sexual assault by almost 20 women (at last count) in incidents that span some 50 years. Stories about Cosby have been around for a long time, but now it seems the universe was finally ready to hear the allegations. This round began when comedian Hannibal Buress called Cosby a rapist in his standup routine.

One of his former victims lamented that only after a man said anything about Cosby's alleged crimes and misdemeanours did anyone choose to listen; rather, we'd suggest that people are finally listening because:

(1) The Internet exists, and

(2) Cosby isn't really useful anymore. They only kick you when you're down in LaLa Land, so Cosby must be nearing his Best Before date, or none of this would be happening. When he was at the height of his fame, Cosby was unassailable — the women who made these accusations were mostly ignored.

So, yes, reruns of The Cosby Show have been cancelled, NBC and others have nixed upcoming projects with Cosby, various casinos have invited him not to show up and other shows have been postponed. Ergo, for the man alleged to spike women's drinks prior to taking advantage of them, it looks as if the writing is on the wall.

Let's hope so, anyway.

Noble of NBC and others to cut their losses, but with respect, it's too little, too late. Who knew what was allegedly going on? How long might they have known it?

Those are the questions that need to be answered in this celebrity case, as in all others.

For those asking why these women didn't come forward and report these assaults years ago, please think about this: When the teachers/priests/hockey coaches who prey on the teenage boys in their care are finally exposed for their crimes, victims eventually come forward who have remained silent for an entire lifetime. Ruined middle-aged men, hollow and useless with shame, finally unburden themselves to talk about the sexual interference that destroyed them in their adolescence; other than the perv's lawyer, nobody ever asks why the victims waited so long to speak up.

Everybody gets it – the male victim's guilt, shame, anger, confusion, vulnerability and complete sense of violation and betrayal are understood by all of us.

You may argue that the circumstances are different, but female victims of sexual assault — young or old or in-between — feel the same way.

And that's why they don't put themselves forward to report what happened. For starters.